


To Play Well The Scenes

by Angel_Bazethiel



Series: The Holmes Chronicles [1]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Merlin (TV), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Gen, M/M, Magic is integrated in MI6, Merlin is a Holmes, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Q is a Holmes, let's make merbondlock happen pls, they have their own sector in Q-Branch and everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-08-05 09:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Bazethiel/pseuds/Angel_Bazethiel
Summary: 25 August 2013Three double-ohs are tasked to eliminate two terrorist leaders and destroy a powerful artefact, but not everything goes as planned. Naturally.





	1. Act I, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So this is what I was talking about in the notes of [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15493209). No prior knowledge of Merlin is needed to read this except for how the characters look like. This is set after Skyfall for the Bond franchise and after Reichenbach for Sherlock (although this has very little Sherlock elements). There you go! I hope you enjoy :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the stage has been set.

Bond frequented the MI6 gym during his downtime.

He got back from a two-week mission from Bangladesh and was enduring the seventh day of his mandatory leave. He had already run out of anything to do and _he was bored._ And this boredom took him to level -3 of MI6 headquarters and right into its gym.

He was throwing punches after punches to the bag hanging in front of him. He punched so hard that the cloth that held the bag together started to break. Even then, the rush of blood that this exercise gave doesn’t reach his needs. He needed more. He needed the gunfights, the thrill of the car chases.

And so he couldn’t be any more ecstatic to see Eve Moneypenny enter the gym. She strode towards him with confidence and an air of authority that was emphasized by the clicking of her high-heeled shoes.

“Don’t you look all Captain American-y,” she said. “Our own blonde superhero punching all his frustrations to a poor, rugged bag.”

“Captain who-now?” Bond replied.

Eve rolled her eyes, “Don’t you ever do other things besides drink, brood, and have sex on your days off? Why don’t you catch a movie sometime?”

“Only if you go out with me, Miss Moneypenny.” Bond winked at her, flashing a flirtatious smirk.

“Oh darling, I’m not the one you should be asking to watch superhero movies with you.” She mirrored the smirk right back at him. “Our head boffin is an expert in a lot of things and Marvel movies are one of them.”

Bond raised an eyebrow, “Really? He has time to crawl out of his hole and watch movies.”

“Of course, James. We even have monthly movie nights every first Friday, barring emergencies of course. It’s called having a life.”

“I have a life.” James countered to what she’s implying.

“Destroying your liver and,” Eve motions to the battered punching bag, “damaging government property isn’t a life.”

“Yes well, it’s good enough for me.” He ended the brewing argument.

“It shouldn’t be. How about the next movie night you come and join us? You could try to cosy up with our dear Q.” She wiggles her eyebrows at him.

James said with a sigh, “I’ll think about it.”

He went to collect his things and headed towards the showers, “What are you doing here anyway? I hope it’s not just to critique my lifestyle.”

“I was actually going to tell you that M is issuing a meeting in a half an hour.”

“Couldn’t you just have emailed me?”

“I was also going to get Q. You know how he can be with his projects sometimes: forgetting everything else and ignoring his phone.” She shrugged, “You’re on my way down, so I came here in person.”

“Alright. I’ll see you upstairs then.”

He started to continue towards the shower room when Eve added, “Oh and Bond, proceed to Conference Room 2. M is meeting with quite a number of people.”

“Understood.” And then he threw a smirk over his shoulder, “See you later, Moneypants.”

She scoffed and turned to the exit. “Only Q is allowed to call me that.”

He laughed at that and went into the shower rooms with a renewed spirit.

 

oOo

 

Twenty-seven minutes later, Bond reached the conference room. The projector on the front was on and three people were already inside: some guy from accounting, Nimueh Lynn, and Morgana Pendragon. They all sat on one side of the table, minding their own work. The accounting guy was on his laptop, Lynn was tapping away on her tablet and Pendragon was reading something on her phone.

Nimueh Lynn is the section head of the Specialized Supernatural Division of Q-branch. Seeing her and 004, Morgana Pendragon, included in this meeting could only mean that this was going to be a mission with magical components. Both are categorized as Class 4 magicians and they handle high-risk magical missions. They are already a formidable team on their own right, frankly. So what was Bond doing here?

004 hummed and looked at him like how a snake would do to its prey.

“To whom do we owe our pleasure of you gracing us with your presence, Mr Bond?”

“As a matter of fact, darling, M invited me to the party.” Bond returned her sly smile.

“Interesting,” 004 mused. “Two double-ohs on a mission together. What could M be thinking? He knows that I don’t work well with others. And I’m sure that you don’t, too.”

“We’ll know soon enough won’t we?”

And as if it was timed, Gareth Mallory entered the room with Q and Eve. They sat down opposite the three others already in the room. Mallory rolled his eyes at Bond, who was still standing.

“Stop lingering, 007, and take a sit.”

“I’m not quite sure you even need me, M, with 004 already here.”

“Don’t be absurd. I called you here, didn’t I?” M gestured to an empty seat, “now sit down. I have another meeting in exactly one hour. This debriefing cannot be delayed any longer.”

With a bit of scepticism, Bond sat down on the far end of the table with Q on his left and Lynn on his right. Mallory called for everyone’s attention and announced, “I called all of you here for a mission debriefing proposed by Miss Lynn. Q and I had already approved the mission and we’re here to make sure that all of the parties involved are on board with the least disinclination. And Bob here,” he nodded to the guy from accounting, “is going to review the budget proposal for the mission.”

He motioned towards the projected screen on the front, “Miss Lynn, you have the floor.”

“Thank you, M.” She tapped on her tablet and slid her fingers across its screen towards the projector. A picture of a thinning old man with a cold hard stare appears on the screen.

“This is Aredian Hopkins, also known as the Witchfinder. He’s the leader of the Belladonna syndicate.” Another slide was flashed on the projected screen. It consisted of eight pictures that showed the same logo with three purple flowers intertwined by their stems. The logo, as shown, was tattooed on the skin of eight different people.

“The syndicate is known to be the primary source of magical weapons for terrorists.” The screen showed a blurred picture of the man from before shaking hands with someone who seems to be a member of the Escetir. Bond sat up at this. This just might be the reason for Bond’s involvement.

“The syndicate is known to capture magical beings and exploit them for their powers.” The next photos were of different creatures of magic who were dead and bore the tattooed logo. “The beings range from fae to Class 5 magicians. He is also allegedly tied to numerous theft of ancient magical artefacts and scrolls.

“He had been elusive for all the years we had known the syndicate until six months ago when we gathered enough information to deduce his base of operations. It is located in Palawan, Philippines where there is a congested part of the ley lines. And, as everyone here knows, we had deployed 005 to go undercover to gather information about the base and events happening there.”

She paused before continuing, “And now I believe we have enough intel to assess our next step.”

A new slide showed a blurred image of a glass tube that contains a massive amount of bright light. “They’ve acquired an artefact with immense power as their main source of energy. Their continued possession of this artefact is a threat to the world, including our nation. Shut down their main source, we could shut down their operations.”

Another slide showed an invitation to a charity gala. “Five days from now, Aredian will be hosting this event. Intel has it that this is just a front to a negotiation between the Belladonna and the Escetir, a terrorist group that 007 has been chasing around the world for two months now. Aredian and Cenred King would be in the same room together, and we could kill two birds with one stone – or in this case, two criminal heads with one operation. ”

Nimueh scanned the room and asked, “Any questions?”

When none of the agents seemed to have any, Q spoke up. “So the objectives are to infiltrate the gala and terminate both Hopkins and King, and to infiltrate their base and acquire the artefact. 007, coordinate with 005 and the both of you would complete the former mission objective. 004 would be completing the latter. Q-branch already sent your assigned weapons to Station R in Manila. They would also be on standby for backup or med-evac.”

Q shoved two folders to the double-oh agents, “These are your covers, know them by heart. Miss Lynn and I would be handling the mission. Your flights would be separated by eight hours to avoid suspicion. 007 would be flying in three hours at 1100 and 004 at 1900 tonight. Establish contact with Station R and proceed to Palawan.”

Q turned to M, “Anything else to add, sir?”

“None, Quartermaster.” M shook his head. “That will be all everyone. I wish you both good luck. And 007,” he turned to the addressed man, “please do try to keep the explosions at a minimum.”

 

oOo

 

“Yes, 007?” A voice chirped in his ear which was noticeably annoyed. “How may I of assistance?”

“I’m bored, Q.”

“I’m not sorry to inform you but I’m your Quartermaster and not some entertainer you have on your beck and call.”

Bond could see the frown that Q was most probably sporting right now and it made him smirk. “Now if you have nothing of import to relay, I shall get back to what I was doing before your cry of wolf. Might I also add that your radio is for emergencies _only._ You’re not to activate it unless you’re actually in trouble.”

“But a bored double-oh agent _is_ trouble, didn’t you say once, Q? Aren’t you at least worried for the civilians around me?” his smirk grew into a full grin.

“Wipe-off that stupid grin off your face lest the locales would think you a madman.” Bond looked around for any CCTV cameras around the bar he’s currently lounging. When he saw one on the corner, he winked at it and toasted his drink towards it. He was pleased to hear Q’s exasperated sigh on the other end.

“The bartender looks like he’s thinking of kicking you out.”

Bond hummed, “I wonder how many bars I can get myself kicked out of in a day.”

“Bond,” Q warned, “do _not_ purposefully get into trouble. I swear you’re a 10-year-old in a suit.”

“I did tell you, Q. I’m bored.”

“You’re in a beautiful island, enjoy the sun, swim with your bird of the day or collect sea shells. I don’t care, just go find something to do.”

“I think I heard that collecting seashells is illegal here.”

“Goodbye, Bond.”

Bond heard a clicking sound that indicated disconnection. A few minutes later his phone vibrated. He took it out to see that a message was sent to him.

_I’ve downloaded some games here. Heaven forbid that you’ll actually do something drastic to alleviate your boredom. Enjoy._

He smiled and texted back. _Thank you, Q. You’re such a darling._

_Can it, 007._

Before Bond could check the applications his Quartermaster provided him though, he saw Helen Mora come out of the water and approached the bar. According to the provided dossier for his mission, Helen is Hopkins’ niece who is an opera singer that was going to perform in the gala.

Bond made a last minute decision to seduce the woman so he could get close to his marks faster. He approached the woman, who was now sipping a Cosmopolitan by the bar, and flashed his most charming smile.

“Did you tire of Heaven, Miss Mora, for us to be endowed by your angelic beauty?”

Helen laughed and took one last sip of her drink before turning to Bond with a condescending look. Her pupils betrayed her as they dilate, signifying her attraction. “Oh, I know you. You’re Mr Sterling, one of my uncle’s robots-in-suits. Chatting up the hapless niece to bump your deal up, are you?”

“I’m more than a robot in a suit, darling.”

“So why do I have the feeling you have the same emotional spectrum as one then?”

“You’re too judging, Miss Mora. Would it change your mind about me if I say that I’m actually in an unrequited relationship?”

She hummed her interest and said, “A charming man like you? How could anyone resist you? Tell me more about this _mystery woman_.”

Her tone of voice suggested that she didn’t believe him and was trying to call him on it, but Bond was not the one to back down so he said, “Her name is Queenie but I call her Q.”

He tried his best not to laugh, especially when he could almost hear his Quartermaster’s exasperated sigh and _Goddamnit Bond, leave me out of this!_ if he ever heard Bond.

 

 

oOo

 

Bond ended up being Helen’s escort for the gala. She introduced him to her friends and colleagues from her latest opera. She paraded him all over the room, beaming with pride. As if it was _her_ that ensnared Bond and not the other way around. She revelled in all of the envious looks of the other women in the party while Bond was happily playing his part as the filthy-rich arm-candy.

“I’m so glad we had that _deep_ talk back in the bar,” Helen said coquettishly, “I do hope that we could have another one after tonight?”

“Depends on how lucky I’ll be tonight. I won’t be averse in having a private celebratory party with you once I landed a deal in this gala.”

This did the trick and Helen let out a grating giggle, “Of course! Let me introduce you to my uncle then. I’m sure he’s just _dying_ to meet you.”

Bond smirked and said, “Of course he is.”

 He was then led out of the ballroom and upstairs where a sitting room is located. Outside the room were two guards who tensed up when they saw the two of them approaching.

“Ease up, gentlemen,” Helen said as she ran her fingers across the lapels of the jacket of one of the guards. “I’m here for my uncle and he’s with me.”

“But, miss,” the other guard started, “We are under strict orders that the master and his colleagues are not to be disturbed.”

“But I’m his favourite person in the world!” Helen whined, “Let’s just see how my uncle would react with you harassing his niece.”

Panic showed in the guards’ faces and one of them immediately said, “No need to inform the master, Miss Mora! We’ll radio one of our people inside to let the master know you and your guest are looking for him.”

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a man with blond hair and a strong jaw. The two guards were relieved by the sight of him and one of them said, “Damien! What did the master say?”

Bond recognized the man as 005. Their eyes meet and Bond gave a small nod. 005 addressed the guards, “The master gives his permission to let Miss Mora and her guest, Mister Sterling, to enter.”

Helen let out a shrill _See?_ and Bond smirks. They enter the room where the two heads of the two of the most powerful syndicates in the world were currently in.

_And now, the fun part begins_ , Bond thought to himself as the door behind him closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I posted this first chapter so that I would feel pressure in writing chapter 2 lol. I've already written chapters 3-4 and half of 5 but I still haven't gotten around in writing 2. So yeah. I'm posting this for this reason. Yes. Bye.


	2. Act I, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the players have been set forth.

“I believe you were given orders to inform me first of what you were planning on doing, 007,” 005 whispered to the said agent as their targets’ laughter bellowed from outside the washroom they are currently in.

“Weren’t you briefed of the plan for tonight?”

“I was. However, I was also advised to ask for _your_ version as you have the habit of changing it while on-mission as you have just done.” 

“As an agent, you’re ought to be flexible when things go awry.”

“Things _were not_ going awry, as you say, and yet here we are.”

“I was presented with an opportunity and I took it.”

“By endangering the mission? Helen Mora is a dangerous woman, Bond. You’re playing with fire.”

“Well, it’s nice to get burned every now and then.”

“ _A lot_ is at stake here, 007. _A lot_ depends on the success of this mission.”

Before Bond could give a reply, his earpiece crackled to life and heard Q’s voice saying, “Enough. Let’s focus on the matter at hand. While I agree with 005 that you should be more careful, Bond, we’re able to skip a few steps and are ready to initiate phase two. 007, give the frequency we are in to 005, please.”

Bond did what he was ordered to before getting out of the small room. He found Helen whispering to Aredian with a sly smile on her face. Aredian gave a small nod at her and waved a hand in dismissal when he saw Bond approach.

“Ah, Mr Sterling. My little sweet nightingale tells me you have a deal for me that I could never refuse, eh?” Aredian beckoned Bond to sit on his right. “But first,” Aredian set a hand on Cenred’s shoulder, “Have you met Mr King?”

Bond smiled, “I haven’t had the pleasure, no.”

The man in question offered his hand out to Bond, “Cenred King, Mr Sterling. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“From Helen? All good I hope.”

“Oh no. People talk, Mr Sterling. You should be more careful. People talk and the walls have ears.”

Cenred's words felt like ice washing through 007’s body. 005, who was standing behind Aredian, tensed up a little, only visible to the trained eye. Cenred laughed as if he just told a joke and not something that suggests Bond’s cover was blown.

“You are too fun to tease, Mr Sterling. One might think that you’re hiding something,” he said.

Bond’s smile was strained when he replied, “In our line of work, secrets are inevitable.”

Cenred let out a noncommittal hum and gave Bond a calculating look. An uneasy moment passed. Aredian cut through the tension by saying, “Why don’t we listen to some music? Helen, dear, care to perform for us?”

 “Anything for you, uncle,” Helen answered with a coy smile. She went to the middle of the room and started to [sing ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2_gytAGnW8)in a sweet melodious voice, with her arms extended towards her audience.

_Blah khien barrah fweelah,  
Blah khien aiza krum,_

“Beautiful, isn’t she, Mr Sterling?” Aredian whispered to Bond as both focused their eyes on Helen.

007, keeping up with his pretence of being infatuated with Helen, answered, “Indeed, Mr Hopkins. I have never met such an exquisite woman before Helen.”

_Aloe khio bragam harah eefnell,  
Broe floe mesing lah, breeyoolah naaadryu._

“I have to say, Mr Sterling, that I am quite protective of my niece and I don’t take people who use her to get to me kindly.”

“It’s nothing like that, sir.”

“I also hate people who lie so blatantly.”

_Sorin sar akhwah, roe hagroe nonestroe,  
Broilin sar akhwah, mortsin danah bradeh,_

“You also ought to know that _she_ also has the same thoughts about people who say they are who they are not. And my darling Helen is a force to be reckoned with.”

Bond chose to be silent as he didn’t know how to answer that. Dread filled his being and _was it just him or was it getting harder to breathe?_

_Broilin sar akhwah, noe –  
Weeben proe, proe sah yakmah, haryay nakhah:_

“Did you really think we’re idiots for not knowing who you _really_ are, Mr Bond?”

As Helen’s song moved into a crescendo, Bond felt his chest constrict more. He opened his mouth a little wider to try to get as much air as he can. He saw as much as he sensed spiders coming out from his mouth. His tongue touched something silky and when he tried to cough it up, he was spitting cobwebs.

_Agah. Madah!_

He surmised that it was the webs that made it difficult to breathe. Spots danced around his vision and the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was 005 drawing his gun.

_Sadah. Hagah!_

 

oOo

 

 “Phase two complete, albeit not how I would have handled it,” 005 reported to the Quartermaster. This earned a scoff from the passenger seat.

“Really, kid? Let it go.”

“You underestimated Helen and now the staff back on their base must have been notified already.”

“004 can handle a bit of company.”

005 tightened his grip on the steering wheel and muttered to himself, “It’s not her that I’m worried about.”

 _Interesting_ , Bond thought to himself. If it turned out that 005 was compromised, it would be messy. And Bond is goddamned tired of messy. _He wouldn’t betray his sister, would he?_ However, 005 and 004 had a rough history so it was not as far-fetched as one would think.

“Then _who_ are you worried about?”

005’s jaw muscles tensed and briefly looked at Bond in the corner of his eyes. “It’s none of your business.”

“If we’re doing the mission together, then it’s sure as bloody hell my business.”

“I got it covered, thanks very much.”

“Look, kid. We have no time for your side-quests, okay?”

“Right, because when you do it it’s fine.”

“You’re a real hypocrite, aren’t you?”

Once again, Q interrupted their argument, “Children. Honestly, what was M thinking when he decided to team the two of you up?” The last part was muttered under Q’s breath with his typing in the background.

“Nimueh just told me that 004 is indeed in need of a help, but not because of what happened at the gala. We have a different issue with regards the main power supply. Please tune in to 004’s frequency so that we could have synchronicity.”

When the two agents did what they were told, their earpieces caught 004’s voice midsentence, “–wait, Nim! Stop the cool down sequence. Something’s moving in the tube.”

With bated breaths, the two waited as 004’s footsteps echoed about the room she was in and into their ears. They heard her as she got closer to the said tube, which presumably encased the main source of power of the syndicate.

Everyone in that frequency heard a gasp and 004 saying, “I’ve always thought Aredian was a sick bastard with his abuse of magical beings, but this may be the most disgusting thing he could ever do.”

“004, please report what you are seeing,” Nimueh said.

“We were wrong to assume that they used some ancient artefact as their nuclear reactor. No, this –“ 004’s voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “They’ve been using _someone’s magic_.”

Bond was seething when he heard this. He may not be an expert in magical sciences, but he knew that a sorcerer’s magic is woven to their very being. And to use their magic as a nuclear isotope, to be broken down to simpler elements over and over again, to rip apart every atom in their body, it must have been excruciating. All that suffering, and _for what?_ Just so Aredian could supply weapons to terrorists and make money while doing it?

He saw that it wasn’t only him that felt so. When he looked at 005, he saw fire burning in his eyes as he looked straight ahead the road. 005 wasn’t saying anything, but Bond noticed that they were going a little faster than before.

Nimueh asks, “Good gods, and the person is still alive?”

“He appears to be,” 004 answers, “his closed eyes seem to be in REM. Q, we’re going to have to go to plan B since we can’t destroy a non-artefact. And I’d rather die than to kill an innocent.”

“You have my confirmation, 004. What is your ETA, 005?”

The addressed agent answered, “Five minutes, sir.”

“Good. When you arrive, one of you should head to the hangar. There is a helicopter there, get it running. I will be guiding you.”

“Yes, sir,” 005 dutifully answered. He then requested, “Morgana, can you describe the person you’re seeing?”

“Shaggy hair, sharp cheekbones, lean-built, about six-feet tall. Why? Is he someone you know?”

“I have a guess. Does he, by any chance, have a triskelion tattoo on his wrist?”

“Yes. Doesn’t this mean that he’s a part of the House of Dragonlords?”

005 let out a hum of agreement, “And I know of only one person who has that particular tattoo in Aredian’s ‘collection.’ They call him subject 70A. I’ve only seen him once since Aredian was quite possessive of him and only allows a certain group of people to guard him. He’s a good person, he doesn’t deserve any of this.” That last part was absent-mindedly muttered under 005’s breath, but Bond caught it.

“He’s the one you’re worried about, isn’t he?” 007 asked. “The one you want to save so badly?”

 005 glanced at him momentarily. He seemed to be conflicted on what he should answer, and decided with the truth, “Yes, he is. The one time I saw him, I made him a promise that I would get him out of that gods-awful place.”

“You shouldn’t make promises you’re not sure you can keep.”

005 laughed bitterly, “That’s exactly what he said when I told him that.” Something in his voice changes, however, when he continues, “But it’s a promise I’m intending to keep even if it’s the last thing I do.”

With that thought, they were zooming past through the streets of El Nido in the dead of the night.

 

oOo

 

Working with Q for almost a year, there had been some changes to how the missions were handled. They were relatively shorter compared to the past ones when Q was still not Q. The boffin had been a great deal of help with the agents in the field. And with his leadership, Q-Branch focused more on the technological advancements and MI6 were able to catch up on the 21st century.

Q was also one of the executives that were adamant on integrating magic into their inventions. The man seemed to know a lot about the magical sciences despite being non-magical. Well, Q is a bit of a genius so maybe it was just a _Q-thing_. He hired more mini boffins who have magic and opened a department for them.

Ever since then, handling missions with magical beings were done a lot more efficiently. The magical double-ohs were relieved since, _finally_ , they were being handled by people who understand magic. It was one of the reasons why most of the double-ohs go on communications blackout: _they just couldn’t handle their handlers_. They didn’t need to argue with their handlers about specifics if their life was on the line. They don’t have the time, honestly.

But with Q on the helm, all of that changed. Q-Branch became competent all of a sudden. And his pick for the section head of SSD, Nimueh Lynn, is amazing in what she does. And so, with three double-ohs and two great handlers, they finished the mission in record time. The warehouse was rigged to explode in a few minutes after the magical beings that were being kept in cages were sent to the safe houses scattered around the area. They were a bit sceptic about their supposed rescuers but they figured that they really don’t have anywhere to go. So they followed the agents’ instructions.

And the three of them were now on a helicopter ride back to station R, with the man who was previously used as an energy supply. 005 made a compelling argument that they need to get him help as soon as possible and the only way to do so is to take him with them. _His magic is unstable for now, there might be a possibility that he might go nuclear_ , he said.

Bond countered that if that’s the case, then they shouldn’t bring the man back to where the Philippines have the densest population. 004 reassured them though that she may be able to stabilize him until they reach Manila. But she doesn’t specialize in healing. So they _need_ to get to station R where the stitching of the man’s magic may be done properly.

Bond reluctantly agreed and took the pilot’s seat. As they took off, he heard Q said, “Good work, agents. I will be tracking you until you reached station R, Q-Branch will have visual by then. In the meantime, situation report please.”

 

oOo

 

They were nearing the landing location in Manila when Bond decided to tune his earpiece directly to Q’s. And before he got a word in, Q said, “You know, it’s fortunate that the only high-risk mission tonight is your mission and that you’re not interrupting some life-or-death situation.”

“Luck has always favoured me, dear Q. What time is it there? Shouldn’t you go home?”

“You’re eight hours ahead, so it’s still quite early here.”

A few moments passed. James and Q let the silence drone on, and James closed his eyes as he listened to the small noises: sounds of typing in Q’s end, the rhythmic whir of the helicopter he’s in. He let himself relax, just a little bit though since they’re still on a mission.

After a while, James spoke, “Moneypenny invited me to one of your movie nights.”

Q hummed his acknowledgement and waited for James to continue.

“I was thinking on saying yes.”

“And..?” Q said, confusion evident in his voice.

“Well, you’re going to be there, too. Don’t I need your approval?”

“Our movie nights aren’t exactly exclusive. Bill comes, too, if work permits. Mallory joined once or twice. R used to regularly come, but then she got Zia. I’m actually quite surprised that Eve only invited you recently.”

By this time, they had landed on top of a random building in Manila. As Bond got out of the helicopter he said, “So it’s fine if I intrude –“

“You wouldn’t be – oh, there I see you,” Q confirmed that he had eyes on them. “You wouldn’t be _intruding_ if you were invited. However, I suggest that we talk about this later, 007, and focus on the mission. You still have to get back safely if you really want to go on the movie night.”

004 was also out the helicopter as well. And lastly, 005 who was carrying the man they had rescued. Bond heard a crash on his earpiece and he noticed Q’s breath became more laboured by the second. Frantic typing was also in the background as Q asked, “Is that him? The one that was imprisoned in the tube?”

“Yes, that’s him,” Bond replied. “Q, are you alright?”

But Q ignored him, “Change of plans, 007. You wouldn’t be staying in Manila after all. I need all of you to come in with _him_.”

“What? Q –“

“I’m requesting station R to lend a jet and healers to tend to your wounds and the others’.”

“Q are you su –“

“Yes, Bond! For once, couldn’t you just follow an order without any questions?”

“I was just making sure that you’re fine.”

“I –“ Q took a deep breath. “Yes, Bond, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. I’m sorry I snapped at you, but it’s the _utmost importance_ that you bring that man home _as soon as possible_. Am I making myself clear?”

“Understood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hi! Hello! I hope you haven't found this a bit dreary. I'm so sorry. I don't particularly like it as well. But I'm posting it because _gah!_ I don't know anymore. I promise you action scenes in act II don't worry. I'm just not at all good at writing fight scenes. So I've skipped them haha. _'They're not at all essential to the plot,' she said._
> 
> The song Helen sings is the song that she sings in the first ep of Merlin. 'Tis called [The Witch's Arya.](https://lyricstranslate.com/en/witchs-aria-witchs-aria.html8) Expect the third chapter some time this week. _I promise._


	3. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we have a change of voice during the calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another chapter? On the same day? Whaaaat? Heh. Anyways. I got a bit guilty because the last chapter was more of a _meh_ , so I'm posting another! But note that it's an intermission so it's shorter than the last two chapters. Also! We get to hear some Pendragon musings! YAY!

“So what’s got you all broody and quiet, little brother?” Morgana Pendragon asked as she sat down beside the aforementioned broody brother.

The man scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I thought we agreed that you would never call me that _ever._ You’re only older than me by three minutes.”

“And you’re deflecting.” Morgana deadpanned. Morgana hummed her musings, “Tell me, has this something to do with a certain asset snoozing away at the back of this jet?” she asked with her eyebrow raised.

“No,” the man answered too quickly. “Lay off it, Morgana.”

Morgana cooed, “Oh maybe my baby brother has a crush. You know, I reckon he would fall almost instantly once he learns about you, his knight in steam-pressed Tom Fords. No need to be broody about it. Soon enough, you’ll get your damsel falling in your arms.” She finished with a wink.

“Shut up.” The man’s ear tips turned a little pink as he shoved her playfully. “It’s not that.”

Morgana laughed at her brother’s ministrations. Even after the years of military and espionage, his baby brother is still too easy to tease. She poked her brother’s side and face a few times while saying “My brother has a crush” in a singsong manner.

Her brother swatted all attempts of poking and she laughed a bit some more. Then she sobered up as she realized what this must be. She studied him for a moment before saying, “It wasn’t your fault, you know. Nobody anticipated that the power source was a person.”

The man turned to her with an eyebrow raised, “Whatever do you mean, Morgana?”

“I know you, Arthur.” All the jest on Morgana’s voice were gone as she continued, “Your tendency of being too noble makes you think that you’re responsible for his extended suffering. You’re thinking that if only you had gathered information more quickly, you could have put an end to his suffering sooner.”

Arthur shook his head, “I barely even know the guy.”

“But you don’t really believe that do you?” she said with a calculating look on her face.

Arthur averted his gaze, furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips. He kept quiet, deep in thought.

“Tell me.” Morgana urged him.

“This is going to sound crazy.” He warned her.

“We’re spies in a modern day world with magic. We _live_ on crazy.” She countered.

He let out a breath before saying, “During my stay with the Belladonna, sometimes I would hear a voice. For six months, I would hear it –“ he pauses and decided to change the pronoun to “– _him_. I would hear him call out to me and cry for help.”

“And you think that the voice could’ve been him?”

“I don’t know, but Morgana, if it was him then he has saved my life a dozen times over. I owe him my life. Hell, _we_ owe him the success of this mission.”

“Arthur…” she tries to say something to appease him but he kept going.

“He fed me the intel. Most of what I relayed back to HQ was from that voice. He kept me from situations that I couldn’t have gotten out of alone. He was the reason why all the bust operations against the Belladonna were successful. He gave me the information. And did you know what he asked for in return?”

He looked at her with a contrite look on his face, “All he asked in exchange of the intel was for me to think how blue the sky was on that day or how warm the sunlight felt on my face. He wanted so much to be free that he tried to _feel_ like he was through me. He wanted to be free but –“ his voice breaks very slightly – “he was so sure that he will never be and so he was just content with the feeling.”

He sighed and had a far-away look in his eyes. “There were times when it was bad, you know. There were times when he asked for the pain to end. Even on one occasion, he made me promise that if I ever did find him, I should just kill him.”

He shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. “He was in so much pain and I was too stupid, too slow. I just –“  He clenched his fists and looked like he needed to punch someone. “I don’t know what to do, ‘Gana. There’s something about him that I can’t put my finger on. When I saw him for the first time, I felt his magic reaching out to me, asking for help, asking for release. It was an overwhelming feeling that I wanted to protect him so badly and to make sure that what he’d been through will never happen again.”

He looked back at her with a sad smile. “I sound crazy and creepy, right? Next thing I know I would be spouting prophecies and destinies. You sure you’re the only magical being out of the two of us?”

She touched his cheek and looked him the eyes. “Not at all.” She smiled at him and continued, “You’re a good man, Arthur Pendragon. It was _not_ your fault. You did everything you could and that should be enough. After all, you _did_ free him. What matters is that he’s safe, we’re safe, and the bastards who did this to him are taken care of. And no one, not him and not _anyone_ , would have to go through that again.”

The siblings looked at each other for another moment and then Morgana broke the tension by poking Arthur in the nose. “I think you just used up all of our monthly ration of sibling love. Enough with the mushy shite, Wart.”

She stood up and said, “I’m going to go and get something to drink. Would you like some?”

“No,” he answered, “I think I’ll have some shut eye before we reach London.”

“Alright. Goodnight, little brother.” She said while ruffling his hair.

Arthur was floating in black nothingness when he was startled awake by a feeling of panic. It was only a couple of seconds later when a scream and an explosion tore through most of the back of the plane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There! I hope you guys liked it :) this bit actually is supposed to be a short intro to another fic wherein it focuses on the six-month recon of 005 and his and Merl- er, _Subject 70A_ 's meeting. I hope I get to writing that soon. ~~I have so much WIPs for this AU and I'm too excited to start and finish them.~~ See you in the next chapter! I hope!
> 
> PS. Also, yep, I made Arthur and Morgana fraternal twins. Idk, I like that notion quite a bit.


	4. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we reach the peak by falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you would like this chap :> A few notes: (a) the jet the agents are riding back to England is a [Falcon 8X](https://www.dassaultfalcon.com/en/Aircraft/Models/8X/Pages/overview.aspx#). (b) We're going to have some exposition at the beginning which I am sorry for since we're supposedly already at Act II.

Q was a little embarrassed with how he acted when he saw the man the three agents were taking with them on their way back to station R. He was completely caught off guard. It was impossible. Three years without a sign, without hope that he may be alive. It just seemed impossible.

Well, highly improbable, but not impossible. He always did have the habit of surviving situations that a normal person couldn’t have.

Of course, Q made sure that it _was him_. He looked at different CCTV cameras and ran screen stills over his face recognition algorithms. They all came out 86.67% positive. The percentage error may be due to the grainy feed and the messed up look of the man, but it’s more than enough match that it’s him.

The man could also be just a doppelganger. Statistics say that there are at least seven people in the world that looks the same and this man may be just someone who looked like _him_. However, _his_ magic could also recreate nuclear fission. He had done so before.

Q needed to text his brother, but he had to talk to M first.

“Any ideas how and why he got caught up with the Belladonna?” M asked Q after he told him of the unexpected turn of events.

“A few. After his doctorate, he was supposed to work in a research facility in Edinburgh. But he was kidnapped by terrorists on the way North. The thing is, he specialized in nuclear magic. And the last thing I heard from him was that he was trying to study the limits of photokinesis in aiding radioactive decay and how it contains the radiation for optimization, making nuclear energy cheaper and safer.

“He got away from his kidnappers with the help of the Druid community. He went with them, travelling around the world, learning more about magic from different cultures and teachers. There were some attacks targeting the Druids two years later. He was able to counter them except for one. We have lost contact with him ever since.”

M was silent for a few moments and he shuffled through the papers about _him_ that Q presented him. Then he said, “Are you sure it’s him?”

“The profile fits him, sir.”

“And you’re sure he’s not a liability?”

“Yes, sir.”

M let out a hum, “Then no harm would come to him. You have my word.”

“Thank you, sir,” Q gave the man a small smile.

“If that is all, Quartermaster, I’m heading home. You should, too. They aren’t going to land for another ten hours.”

Both men exited the office and went for the elevator. Before getting off, M asked, “Are you going to inform your brother, then?”

“If he hasn’t caught wind of it already.”

“Better not to keep Mycroft Holmes waiting. Cheers, Q.”

Q didn’t come home though. He went back to his branch level and monitored the ongoing missions. It was quiet so far and he wasn’t aware that he fell asleep in his desk after a few hours. It was a pleasant rest until he was awoken by an alert from one of the missions. The alert was coming from 005.

He quickly connected to the earpieces of the agents and said, “Report.”

 

oOo

 

_MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY this is G-ERTI, a Falcon 8X with total engine failure attempting forced landing at Heathrow. Last known position 3 miles west of Cranford; 5500 feet heading 260 degrees. PPL; 8 souls onboard. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY this is G-ER –_

_Heathrow to G-ERTI, roger your mayday. Permission to land on Runway 27R. Stay on course. Over._

“–ond! Bond!” The owner of the name shot his eyes open as he heard the call. “007, report!”

He could feel blood trickling down his head as he surveyed his surroundings. There was a loud blaring noise in the background and it felt like he was falling. He realized that they _are_ and so he immediately tried to get up from where he was lying down. In doing so, his vision swam and he could feel vomit go up to his throat.

The voice in his ear was still asking for him, so he decided to answer, “I’m fine, Q. Just a little concussed. Now please stop screaming bloody murder in my ear.”

“I wouldn’t have if you had answered, Bond.”

“Why Q, I didn’t know you cared.”

“004 and 005 reported immediately. You didn’t for six bloody minutes. I think half of my branch fainted because of your bloody scare, especially when nobody could check up on you since everyone is preoccupied.”

“Were you scared, Quartermaster? You wouldn’t get rid of me that easily.”

He heard a scoff from Q before saying, “While you were taking your time with your beauty sleep –“

Bond interjected a “Hardly a beauty sleep, Q” that was left ignored as Bond made his way to the divans.

“–005 went to pilot the plane as the captain and his co-pilot are currently indisposed. 004 patched the plane to keep it pressurized and is now currently trying to contain the threat.” Bond could hear hesitance in Q’s voice as he said _threat_ , but Bond decided to ask Q about it later.

Bond entered the room where the threat and, most probably, 004 are. Bright lights were thrown back and forth between the individuals. Bond surveyed the situation and noticed that the two medics they have on board were unconscious and strapped on a chair at the back.

The air between the two magicians felt electrified as both their energies seep out their beings. 004 had her back on him while Bond had a clear view of the other’s face. It was etched with pure fury on his face as he shouts spells after spells at 004. She tried her best to deflect them until one spell slipped her notice and knocked her unconscious.

Bond didn’t let a moment pass. The man was so focused on 004 that he was caught by surprise when Bond lunged at him. Bond managed to stun him for a few seconds but then an invisible force started to constrict his throat.

Then 005’s voice blasted through the speakers of the plane. “Hello, this is your pilot speaking. I am going to attempt to land a plane with a bloody quarter of it missing. This will _definitely_ be going to be a bumpy ride and I advise for everyone onboard to brace themselves.”

This was enough for the man to get distracted for a second and Bond landed a kick on the man’s side. The man doubled over, letting go of his charm on Bond. As he tried his best to inhale enough oxygen to keep himself from passing out, he realized that they were descending too fast. The man must have noticed it too since his eyes grew a little wider and he looked around in panic.

“We’re losing altitude too quickly.” Bond heard over his earpiece, “Morgana, I need you to slow down the plane.”

Bond looked at where the mentioned agent was lying face down and said, “004 is currently out. Do you have any other way to slow it down?”

“Shite. No. I was waiting for Morgana’s magic ex machina to kick in. I guess us mortals are on our own then. I’ll try to make our glide time longer, but the wings are already falling apart. Hold on to something, 007. And please watch out for my sister.”

Bond crawled towards 004 and he moved her arms to her sides. He reached to a chair, pulled its seatbelt and tied 004. And then he tied himself to another chair. He kept both of their bodies down and covered his head with one hand while the other covers 004’s.

Bond looked out the window as he waited for their impact to the ground. He could see debris and fire pass by the plane’s sides, creating a tail that showed just how fast they were going. He heard metal banged with metal and creaking noises that groaned the strain of each bolt keeping the plane together. 004’s makeshift patch began to peel away and they were getting sucked out. He firmly held on to 004. He shut his eyes and a second passed. And then another.

And another.

And then, nothing.

Everything went quiet and he felt weightless. He opened his eyes and saw that he and 004 were suspended in the air. The debris that was being drawn outside the plane was now floating midway through the hole in the plane. He noticed that they were still moving, albeit at a much slower pace. It was as if they were moving in slow motion. He turned to see the man hovering a few inches above the ground with his hands stretched out towards the nose and the tail of the plane.

His eyes were blazing gold and, even in his rugged appearance, he looked ethereal. He glowed very slightly and Bond, who has no magical capabilities whatsoever, was overwhelmed with so much power coming from the man. Looking past him, outside the window, Bond saw a glimmer. And outside the glimmer, he saw that they were still very much falling.

When they were nearing impact, the man looked at him, then at 004, and then to the two healers that had been secured at the end of the divans. He turned back to him, “How many other people on board?”

Bond was taken aback by the question, but he answered, “Three more in the cockpit.”

The man pursed his lips and squinted his calculating eyes at Bond. The man sighed, looked down, and then started waving the hand that was in front of him. Bond realized that the man was detaching the cockpit from the plane. And when he was successful, he threw the cockpit away with one final wave of the hand.

Then he motioned his hand towards him, 004, and the healers. And the next thing Bond knew was they were outside the plane, on the concrete ground of the runway. He looked up and saw the glimmer surrounding the plane fade out and as if to compensate the slow motion the plane had, it fast-forwarded its impact. One moment it was still twenty-five feet off the ground, and the next there was a wreckage sitting in front of them.

He turned to the man that had just saved their lives and saw that the man was just about to run away. Bond tried to get up but the belt around his waist tightened around him.

“I just saved your life,” the man said. “Let me go.”

Another voice in his ear said, “007, don’t let him get away. We’re almost to your position.” And with the order of his Quartermaster, he struggled with his bonds.

An armoured car came speeding towards them. The man gritted his teeth waved his hand towards it. The car’s front wheels stopped, making it flip forward.

More cars came. One threw a ball towards the man. It exploded and then he was encased by a glimmer that was the same with what the plane had before. The man looked like he was frozen, anger marring his features.

Another ball was thrown and this one broke into eight smaller balls that formed a circle around him. When the glimmer around him faded, he came crashing forward. He hit an invisible wall to where the border of the circle is. He became frustrated and began throwing spells towards the circle but the wall seemed to absorb all of his efforts.

One car came for the cockpit that landed on the side of the runway. People began to pull out the two pilots and 005 who had a nasty gash on his forehead. At this point, Bond had cut through his ties and he had roused 004 into waking. 004 wanted to run to her brother but held her ground.

One of the cars projected through a megaphone on top of it, “Stand down.” The cars then had formed a barricade surrounding the man. Agents got out from the cars and got into ranks in which Bond and 004 joined.

The man growled, “I will not exchange one prison for another. [Ic þe bebiede þæt þu abifest nu](https://youtu.be/TNTGwKIhOM0?t=126) _._ ” He struck a hand to the ground and it started to shake. A few cracks came from the man’s hand. Some of the earth rose and the ground became uneven, breaking the circle round him. There was a flicker and when the man reached out a hand, he found that there was no longer a wall stopping him.

The agents began shooting towards the man, but he held a palm towards the onslaught of bullets and stopped them. 004 began moving towards the man. She summoned two whips of fire and began attacking.  The man sent a gust of strong wind that extinguished the flames and thrown 004 back to Bond’s side. The man turned back to the others and growled. He was ready to begin attacking again when a voice rang out the air.

“Stand down.”

 _Shite,_ Bond thought. _What the ever living fuck is Q playing at?_ Sure, his Quartermaster was smart and would never fail to surprise with his sleeves full of tricks, but he’s trying to subdue a powerful magical threat. Did Q really think he could take the man? Bond swore that one of these days, Q’s arrogance is going to get him killed.

“I’m not going to say it again. Stand down.”

Bond didn’t know whether to be proud or furious of his Quartermaster’s defiance. Nimueh joined Q, with her arms raised and palms facing the man.

The man turned paler as he stared at Q. He stepped back, away from Q. He turned a full three-sixty with a crazed look in his eyes and started to say, “Oh my gods. This isn’t real at all isn’t it?” He turned to the sky and screamed, “What more do you want from me?”

“No,” Q said with a pained expression on his face. “This is real. This is very much, without a doubt real. Look at me.”

The man shook his head. He refused to look at Q. His eyes start to water and his voice wavered as he said, “You found out about the spy I was helping. And so you wanted to teach me a lesson. This –“ he flailed his hand as if to describe everything “– is just one of your fucking mind games.”

A burst of energy erupted from the man. Q and Nimueh were unharmed though and she decided to take one step towards the man.

“We need you to calm down and stop attacking.”

But the man wasn’t listening, if anything he got angrier. “This one is the best yet, in my opinion. Making me think that I finally got my freedom, all just so you can take it all away. Hey, you even got to throw _him_ ” at this he pointed at Q “in this made-up world. I fucking salute whoever wove this spell.”

“Ingram –“ Q started to say but the man snarled at him.

“Don’t you dare say my name.”                                                        

“ _Ingram_ ,” Q said more firmly, “this is _real_. And we _need you to stand down._ ”

The man – _Ingram_ – was still shaking his head and let out another burst of energy. Q and Nimueh were still unharmed and he took the last remaining steps towards Ingram. Q pulled a necklace from under his shirt. The necklace had a single wooden charm and Q showed it in full view of Ingram.

“This is real. If you don’t trust us or your eyes, you could trust your magic. You gave me this,” Q waved the charm, “a long time ago, remember? It has your magic. And your magic recognizes it, doesn’t it?”

Ingram was about to voice out his negations again but Q beat him to it. Q put his hands up on the sides of Ingram’s head and forced the latter to look at the former’s eyes. “This is real, Ingram. Please believe me. Come back to me.”

Ingram touched Q’s wrists. He was crying, now. After a few moments, he let out a word so softly that Bond nearly didn’t catch it, “Gabriel.”

“Yes, Ingram. It’s me. You’re safe. You’re home.”

Q closed the space between him and Ingram. Q hugged him tightly while muttering a litany of _this is real_ s and _you’re safe_ s. After a few moments, Ingram’s legs gave out and he was falling, taking Q down with him. Bond went over the hugging duo. Q was now saying _I’m sorry_ s with Ingram’s head under his chin, the both of them slightly rocking back and forth.

Q took notice of Bond’s looming presence. Bond could see that there were tears on Q’s face when he looked up at him. Q blinked owlishly a few times and stilled for a long second. And then the Quartermaster wiped his tears and addressed James, “Asset sedated, 007. Help me get him to the car.” Q was now sporting an indifferent mask, any signs of vulnerability from seconds ago were gone.

 

oOo

 

The ride back to headquarters was silent. Bond was observing his Quartermaster and the man in his arms and whose head was currently resting on Q’s shoulder. _Ingram_ , Q called the man before. And the man called Q _Gabriel_. Obviously, the two knew each other and quite intimately at that if the man knew of Q’s name.

It had been MI6’s most well-kept secret. No one, besides M and Tanner – and maybe Moneypenny as well – knew of the Quartermaster’s name. And when he asked, Q would just brush it off with an _I’m_ _not certain that it’s relevant to the mission or to you, Bond._

He pestered Q, called him names that start with Q (a nod to M’s _Mallory_ and the former M’s _Mansfield_ ), and he even tried to get one of the minions to hack Q’s file but to no avail. He never got his answer.

And now there’s a man that had just called Q by what seemed to be his name. And not only that, he hugged the usually-touch-elusive Q. It took Bond months for Q to be at ease around him that allowed him a pat on the boffin’s shoulder. And now he just witnessed how someone and his Quartermaster held each other so tightly with familiarity.

Bond was intrigued. And maybe a bit jealous.

But mostly intrigued.

“You want to ask,” Q said without looking at Bond.

“Oh not at all, Quartermaster. I definitely respect your privacy. No need to fill me in about a dangerous ex-lover.”

“Guess again, Bond. He’s not an ex.”

“Could have fooled me.” Bond was surprised by how much relief he felt with that statement. So if they weren’t lovers then it could only mean that they were – “Family. He’s your family. Or at least a very close friend that you consider him as such.”

“A brother, actually. A real one. Flesh and blood.”

 _Huh,_ Bond thought. _Interesting_.

“His name is Ingram. 27 years old. Class 7.” Q hesitated before continuing, “Despite his power though and the events that transpired tonight, he’s _not_ dangerous. He won’t harm anyone if he can help it. I need you to understand that, Bond.”

Q finally looked at him, “The double-ohs have always followed your lead so I need you to know that he was hurt – _is_ hurting. And pain tends to turn into anger which, in turn, result to lashing out. He never meant to hurt those people. He’s a good man, I guarantee you that.”

Q looks away again and out the car’s window. “I’ve already talked to M about this. And he promises that no harm would come to my brother. However, he never had complete control over the agents. That’s where you come in. You’re a huge influence on MI6. And I need you to back me on this.”

Bond thought over Q’s words. He’s not too keen on trusting Q’s brother, but he did trust Q. And there was the fact that Ingram saved the people in the plane. So he answered, “Of course, Q. You can count on me.” He flashed a small smile which grew bigger when Q returned with one of his own.

A few minutes had passed in silence when Bond said, “So, Gabriel huh?”

Q chuckled, “Yes. Disappointed that it doesn’t start with Q?”

“Oh no. I was betting on your _surname_ to start with Q, Mr Gabriel _Quinn_.”

“Not my name, Bond.” Q rolled his eyes.

“Well, it’s only a matter of time before I’ll find out. A few searches for the Gabriel-Ingram brothers should do the trick.”

“Don’t be too sure. I technically don’t exist. And Ingram goes by another name to his peers and publicly.”

“You underestimate my abilities, Quartermaster. I’m a spy, you know.”

“So you say.” There was a smirk on Q’s face. And then his expression softened into a ghost of a smile when he said, “Thank you.”

“Whatever for, Quartermaster?”

“For bringing him home.”

“As I recall it was a team effort.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong, I know Arthur did all the work. But since you’re the only one here, you could receive the vocal gratefulness. But 005 is the one getting the exploding cufflinks.”

 “And here I thought favouritism is beyond you, Q.”

“What can I say? 005 is quickly turning to my new favourite.”

“So you finally admit that you do have favourites. ‘New’ implies that there was an old one. Or rather, there’s a current one since 005 is just _turning_ to a favourite. There’s still hope for the current one.”

Bond’s expression turned mischievous as he said, “It’s me, right? Tell me it is.”

“Don’t be absurd, Bond.” Q scoffs at him, “009’s my favourite.”

“Right. The toad.”

“Just because he follows orders to a T and returns his equipment minimally scathed doesn’t mean he’s a suck-up, Bond. It just means he’s a decent human being and a good agent.”

“You must think me indecent and a very bad agent, then?”

Q hummed and said, “I guess, you’re quite okay, too.”

James smiled and they were silent for the rest of the drive. He was content with the information Q trusted him with. _For now_.

Who knows what the future held for them now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hi! Yes. Uhm, I'm posting this because it's Finals week and I'm procrastinating (((: I hope the chapter's okay though. 
> 
> Also, yes, there's a Cabin Pressure reference somewhere. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it.


	5. Encore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get one last thing before the curtain call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't expecting these much Sherlock elements here. It just happened. Note that this takes place in Aug 2013, and Reichenbach fall was around Nov 2012 (I'm not sure, but according to my timeline it does. I think I researched it a long time ago but I can't be assed to look for it now). Also, note that Sherlock S04 never happened, and _will never ever happen_. However, I took Sherrinford from there heh heh heh.

Mycroft Holmes is dubbed as the _Ice Man_ among the ranks of MI6. This name is also whispered among the shadows of Britain’s enemies. He is considered to be the most powerful man in Europe. And it’s terrifying that he worked in the background, away from prying eyes.

For the greatest power is the power that goes by unnoticed, but powerful nonetheless.

They were in the middle of a mission debriefing with _Mycroft Holmes_ in the room. The agents were at a loss as to why he was there. Nevertheless, they continued on with their report to M as if there were nothing different. Although, the Quartermaster was not as keen of Holmes as they were. Q’s displeasure was evident with his constant glaring at the man.

If Holmes noticed or cared, he did not show it. He was silent as the agents and their handlers relayed what had happened in their mission. When they were done, only then Mr Holmes spoke, “What are you planning on doing with him?”

It was Q who answered, “I’m taking him home when medical discharges him.”

Holmes shot an eyebrow at Q, “What makes you think you’re qualified to handle an unstable, Class 7 warlock, Quartermaster?”

“I handle dangerous people on a day-to-day basis, Mr Holmes. Don’t patronize me.” To say that Arthur was surprised to see this side of the Quartermaster was a bit of an understatement. Q was usually calm and collected, but today he was hissy and showing more emotions than what he showed the last few months of Arthur’s interaction with him. The tension between Q and Holmes was so thick that everyone in the room was careful with their breathing.

It was understandable that Q wanted to fight for his brother’s custody. If Arthur had the right, he would have also stood up against Holmes. But he didn’t have the right to be Ingram’s caretaker, no matter how much he wanted to be. He supported Q though. At least with Q, he could still see him. Holmes would most probably just make Ingram disappear.

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Holmes warned Q ominously.

“He’s my brother. I think I’ve got a clue, thanks very much.”

Holmes’ eyes widened for a fraction of a second. It was so fleeting that if Arthur weren’t trained to notice these kinds of things, he wouldn’t have noticed it. Then Holmes’ expression turned sour for some reason. Most likely it’s because he’s not used to being defied, especially so blatantly.

“He’s a danger to society. He should be in Sherrinford –”

“Is that the best you could do, Mycroft? Isolate him when he needs companionship the most? I’m not letting you take him away _again_.”

Arthur was taken aback by that single statement, which implied multiple things. Mycroft Holmes had a direct relation with Ingram and the Quartermaster. Holmes already separated the two brothers before. And Holmes is as cold and cruel as the rumours painted him to be.

M tried to control the situation as he cleared his throat and said, “Gentlemen, may I remind you that there are other people in the room. You might say things that you’d rather be private.” But he was ignored and the men continued sniping at each other.

“We’ve already discussed this, Quartermaster.”

“No, you produced words which I listened to but decided to discard. What would mummy say, hmm? When she finds out that you’re planning on taking her son away again, without even telling her that Ingram’s alive?”

 _Wait, what?_ Arthur thought. _Why would Q be bringing his mother up in the discussion?_

Holmes visibly gulped at this and sneered, “Don’t bring her into this.”

_And why would Holmes be afraid of Q’s mother?_

“You know what, this discussion would have been much easier if mummy was in the room. Let me just call her.” Q moved to reach his phone from his pocket.

Holmes scoffed, “Stop being petty, Quartermaster. It’s unbecoming of you.”

“Then stop being difficult, Mycroft.”

“You’re not thinking clearly.”

“And you’re not thinking about Ingram!” Q’s voice was raised, startling everyone present. “All you care about is yourself and how this would ruin you and your image and your ego just like before.”

And suddenly, Arthur felt like they weren’t just talking about Ingram anymore. It felt like they were talking about a much deeper rift between Holmes and the Quartermaster.

Q continued, “You took away Ingram because you were afraid that you were related to a _‘monster._ ’ That’s what he felt like, Mycroft. _He was thirteen_.”

“Everything I did, I did for the sake of the family.”

“Is that what you were doing when you fed Moriarty information about Sherlock just so you can have _a bit_ of information about his nonexistent key-code?”

“I did what I had to do –”

“You could have gone to me!”

Q seemed to notice that he was getting more agitated and so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He cradled his head in his hands with his elbows atop his knees. In a small voice, he said, “We’re not having this conversation again.”

The exchange stopped and M took the opportunity to say, “Might I suggest that we let Ingram decide for himself?”

Q let out a huff, while Holmes gave M a small nod and said, “That seems the best path to take. I shall take my leave, then. Notify me of the decision Ingram makes.”

Holmes stood up and bade goodbye to everyone in the room. He took the cold with him and the agents were able to breathe normally again.

007 stupidly asked Q, “You’re a Holmes, aren’t you?”

Q was still in his bowed position when he turned his head a bit and opened an eye to glare at the agent, “Congratulations, Bond. You solved the puzzle.”

And it made sense. Q’s flippant use of Holmes’ first name. Holmes’ way of talking that dripped with so much condescension that only an older brother could when talking to a younger sibling; Arthur had been a receiver with that kind of talk with Morgana. Q’s discomposure; families usually had a way to crawl under someone’s skin no matter how strong the walls they build. Holmes’ fear of Q’s mother – or well, _their_ mother. And Q’s bitterness in talking about the detective that died almost a year ago.

And, _oh gods, does this mean that_ _Ingram_ _is also a Holmes?_

“Nobody, except those who _need_ to, knows about my relationship with Mycroft Holmes,” Q said while staring down each of the agents and Nimueh. “And I would like to keep it that way.”

Nimueh was quick to say, “Of course, sir.”

Arthur and the other agents also nodded their confirmation. Then M dismissed them and ordered the agents to rest.

 

oOo

 

Arthur didn’t go home with Morgana after the meeting. He was supposedly still in medical anyway. So he went back down. Not to his room though, no. He went outside Ingram’s and stood guard.

It was much later when Q came and found him in his vigil.

“005, I thought you’d gone,” Q said to him.

“Medical still have me for monitoring, sir.”

“Right. How are you, by the way?”

Arthur absent-mindedly scratched the edges of the bandage around his head, “It’s just a scratch, sir.”

Q chuckled, “’Just a scratch,’ he says. You double-ohs and your lack of self-preservation.”

Both men heard a moan from inside the room and Q dashed inside. They saw Ingram’s eyes flutter open and fixed on Q. Ingram let out a harsh laugh like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Tears started to pool in his eyes.

“It wasn’t a dream. Thank gods.”

“Of course not. You’re safe now, Ingram.”

Arthur was unsure what to do so he hovered in the doorway. Before he could leave though, Q beckoned him to enter the room as he said, “There’s someone I’d like you to officially meet.”

Shining blue eyes met his and Ingram gasped, “It’s you.”

Arthur, being the idiot he was – and later he would blame it on his head injury and not because was mesmerized by those eyes so his brain-to-mouth filters short-circuited – replied, “I told you I’d save you.”

Ingram smiled then and there, crinkling his eyes into two crescents. “Prat,” he said, holding Arthur’s gaze.

They didn’t notice that they were staring at each other until Q cleared his throat and shot a calculating look at Arthur. Q then introduced him as _Arthur Pendragon, one of the agents that saved you._

Arthur extended his arm and said, “Pleased to meet you in a more amiable setting, Ingram.”

Ingram rolled his eyes, “Oh please, _it’s Merlin_. Only my brothers insist on calling me Ingram.”

 

oOo

 

005 left just over an hour after Ingram woke up. Dr Shaw was doing his rounds when he found out that Arthur was not in his room. He almost alerted security, but when he passed by Ingram’s room he saw that 005 was there. Dr Shaw reprimanded the agent and lectured him how it was irresponsible of him to induce panic among the staff.

Then Dr Shaw escorted the agent back to his room.

Q turned to Ingram when they were finally alone, “I saw Mycroft today.”

Ingram lifted an eyebrow, “How did he take my existence?”

Straight to the point. Of course, there’s no idle chatter now. There’s always none when the Holmes brothers talk.

“He wants to take you back to Sherrinford.”

Ingram hummed, “And you don’t approve?”

“And you do?”

Ingram shrugged. It takes him a moment before carefully saying, “Life doesn’t work for you. It works _with_ you. And you have to work with it. But how can you work with it if you’re not open to the things that it gives you? I’ve been given this so much power and _I know_ I’m dangerous. Now I’m being given a choice to keep danger – _me_ – away from everyone.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad that I saw you again, Gabriel, and I would love to stay with you or with mummy. But if Myc thinks it’s best for me and for everyone that I return to Sherrinford, then maybe I should. I’m sure it would be just for a few weeks; months at the most.”

“You said in the airport that you refuse to take another prison after the one you just left.”

“This is different.”

“How, Ingram,” Gabriel wrung his hands up, “Tell me exactly how this is different?”

“Mycroft isn’t doing this because he wants to use my powers. He just wants to keep everyone _safe._ ”

And there it was. Gabriel was so sure that this would be Ingram’s answer. He knew that his brother still thinks of himself as the _monster_ he was told that he was all those years ago. No matter how much everyone who loves Ingram reminded him that his magic is _beautiful and not something to be feared of,_ the damage in his psyche couldn’t be undone.

Gabriel knew that Mycroft thought so as well. That’s why he was quick to agree with M’s suggestion that they let Ingram decide. Gabriel knew then that he had lost.

“Ingram,” Q started, “last time you were in Sherrinford, we haven’t seen you for _five years_. We just got you back, I don’t think mummy could take the heartache.”

“That’s why you’re not going to tell her I’m alive. Not yet anyway. I’m sure it’d be just for a few weeks.”

“What if takes another five years? Or more? Even if it doesn’t what are you planning after that? Would you go back to running around the world?”

Ingram shrugged again, this time with a newfound glint in his eyes.

“Nothing is set on stone. No one ever knows what to do next or what their deeds’ consequences are in the long run. What matters is what is done today, right now, at this moment. Life’s too short to stay in the past or to get anxious about the future. This, _here_ , is what matters.

“And what we _should do_ right now is sleep, rest and recuperate. Go home, brother mine. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here it is. The final chapter. It's done! Thank you for sticking with me. Talk with me on the comments? Or could always move on to your next fanfic in line! Go you!
> 
> I have a Finals exam later today (it's around 1AM here so technically later today, right?) in my Quantum Mech class and I finished this instead of studying. _Oh, woe is me._ Kids, if you're considering a Physics degree, _don't._ No matter how much time dilation and quantum computing sound so appealing. Just, don't.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Feedback is welcomed and deeply appreciated :)))


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